Movement Mortgage opens branch in Miami Lakes Town Center

In the middle of the 2008 economic crisis, ex-NFL player Casey Crawford and co-founder Toby Harris dreamt of creating a mortgage company that would center its ideals around God, family and community.

Since its creation, Movement Mortgage has set up shop in 48 states and continues to grow and expand, passing Chase mortgage as the seventh largest purchase lender in the nation and the third largest growing company in The U.S. The company now has over 4,500 employees and holds several offices in Florida, with one of them residing in the Town of Miami Lakes.

Orly Garcia, the branch’s market leader, remembers when the office first opened with no desks, chairs or even co-workers. Garcia sat in a corner of his office with nothing but an iPad and ham sandwich. He now runs the largest territory in Florida with operations from Daytona to The Keys.

“I’m Cuban, and you need to know Miami to work in Miami. I chose Miami Lakes because it was easier for me, and also for our customers and borrowers to get to and from. You can access us from South Miami or Broward. It’s a central location, I grew up close by and used to come to Main Street all the time as a kid,” He reminisced. “It’s an easy sell for me, because it’s a beautiful location and we walk over to Main Street and have lunch. I had to be in Miami Lakes.”

In addition to becoming a fast-growing company, Movement Mortgage focuses on the needs of the commonwealth. Almost 45 percent of their company is owned by the Movement Foundation – a cause created to give 45 cents from every dollar made to communities in need. They’ve built farms in Uganda so villagers can sustain themselves, another mission just recently came back from Haiti, and a group is expected to visit Puerto Rico in March.

“So every quarter we do something, and we also have the foundation where every month we give away $10,000 to an organization of our liking. It’s all about the culture. We are obviously in a business, but it’s about family, God and how we operate,” he says.

Besides their communal involvement and brief history, Movement Management is also technology driven – with rapidly changing new ways to help make loans easier for their customers. Their user-friendly app can be used to connect borrowers to local lenders and even help find quotes that match their budget.

“We’re like the Google of mortgages. Our headquarters is very sleek and innovative, and our technology is up there. Crawford wants to invest back in technology. We invest in our loan officers, community and realtors. That’s the difference between us and everybody else, and that’s why we’re the fastest growing lenders,” he says.

With interest rates at an all time low and houses being cheaper than they were almost eight years ago, Garcia had some advice for prospective homeowners looking to buy in 2018.

“Try to get into that home sooner rather than later. It’s all about job stability when looking for a home. We have a lot of programs that cater to first-time homeowners. Always try to keep your credit clean and do your due diligence.”